India has expressed concern over the hike in visa fee by the US, saying it is discriminatory and largely affects Indian IT professionals.<br/><br/>During a bilateral meeting with US Trade Representative Ambassador Michael Froman in Washington, Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley also underlined the need for early conclusion of Totalisation Agreement which would benefit Indians working in America.<br/><br/>Last year, the US Congress imposed a special fee of up to 4,500 US dollars on H-1B and L-1 visas — popular among Indian IT companies — to fund a 9/11 healthcare Act and biometric tracking system.<br/><br/>As per Industry estimates, Indian professionals contributed more than 25 billion US dollars to the US Social Security during the last decade, without being able to retrieve their contributions.<br/><br/>The Finance Minister emphasised on sustained engagement and a rapidly increasing trade and investment partnership between India and the US as key elements, saying India looks forward to strengthening and deepening this economic engagement.